NZ politician and activist clash over ‘reckless idiots’ whose protest caused traffic chaos

An opposition MP on Tuesday called climate activists “reckless idiots” after shutting down traffic for hours to protest for a better rail network.

Police had to close the south lane of State Highway 1 in New Zealand’s capital Wellington after protesters climbed a gantry, triggering a violent TV clash in the morning.

National Member of Parliament Simeon Brown said the activists have seen “thousands of commuters trying to get to work, trying to go about their daily lives, trying to earn a living and pay the bills, and get stuck in traffic.” disturbed.

“The reality is that emissions would have gone up in Wellington…because all those cars would have been stuck in traffic and emitting more and more gas, so these are just absolutely reckless idiots and it takes their business a long way.” back,” he told channel 3.

But climate activist John Minto traded blows with Mr Brown, saying ‘the reckless idiots are the people who ignore what’s happening to the climate’.

The protesters put up a large banner that read Restore Passenger Rail.

The climate action group of the same name is demanding that the New Zealand government restore passenger rail to 2000 levels by reopening lines that are now freight-only and opening new ones.

Mr Minto told AM show host Ryan Bridge that the protesters wanted to raise awareness about a serious problem.

“If you look at the magnitude of the problem we are facing with climate change. I take my hat off to these young people,” he said.

“What they’re doing is drawing attention to a huge problem, and in reality New Zealand, and the world as a whole, aren’t taking this seriously enough and we need these wake-up calls every now and then and doing well for them.” .’

Mr Minto also had a soft spot for Mr Brown, suggesting that he played politics rather than caring about those stuck in traffic.

Simeon Brown is thinking about next year’s election, but (the protesters) and I and many other New Zealanders are thinking about what the world will be like in 30, 50, 100 years.

“We are dealing with an existential crisis, it’s either capitalism or the planet. We can’t have both,” he said.

But the MP immediately hit back when the debate became heated, accusing Mr Minto of being an expert on ‘disruptive and protesting’.

“I’ve lost count of how many times he’s been arrested, but he specializes in this kind of behavior. But the reality is that most New Zealanders follow the law,” he said.

“We care about the climate and we care about solving these problems, but actually you can do it the right way…and it doesn’t mean you have to illegally stop a highway.”

Mr Minto kept a firm focus on what he sees as the failure of politicians.

‘We cannot leave this issue to politicians who think in three-year cycles. We have to start thinking in cycles of 30, 50, 100 years,” he said.

Mr Brown brought the debate back to the activists. however, saying someone could have died if the protest stopped an ambulance coming through.

Mr Minto said that was not the case, but neither the national MP nor the AM presenter seemed convinced.

“The disruption could have resulted in someone potentially losing their lives and this is the reality,” said Mr Brown.

Three people were arrested after the protest but will not be charged, Wellington police said.

Instead, they have been referred to as ‘an alternative settlement process’.